Arm restraining device for golfers



June 8, 1965 -L. E. JOB 3,188,090

ARM RESTRAINING DEVICE FOR GOLFERS Filed Jan. 9, 1962 INvEN'rok LEONARB E. Job

im wqw United This invention relates to golf swing trainers.

For convenience the invention will be described as for a right-handed golfer. For a left-handed golfer the term left must be substituted for right in the following description.

One of the commonest faults in a golf swing is a tendency to straighten the right elbow in an attempt to put more force into the stroke with the right hand. This reduces the degree of control which the left band should provide, and frequently results in a poorly hit or misdirected shot.

It is an object of the invention to provide a golf swing trainer which prevents straightening the right elbow without hindering the swing.

A golf swing trainer according to the present invention comprises a body harness, and a thong connected to the body harness at a point near the armpit of one arm (the right arm in the said case of a right-handed golfer) and to an attachment adapted to be fitted to the hand or wrist of that arm, the length of the thong being such that when the player is addressing the ball the elbow of that arm is maintained slightly bent.

The thong may consist of a strap of adjustable length so that the device is adjustable to suit different players. The means of attachment to that hand or wrist may consist of a glove with a reinforced cuff, or a wrist strap. The thong, or a major portion thereof, may be detachable from the glove or wrist strap so that different forms or sizes of gloves or wrist straps can be used for different players.

In one form of the invention the body harness consists of a chest strap which encircles the players chest, just below the armpits, and a shoulder strap which passes over the shoulder of the said arm to prevent the chest strap from slipping down.

The thong may be detachably connected to the chest strap, for instance by means of a ring which can slide along the portion of the chest strap which passes under the said arm. The front junction between the chest strap aid the shoulder strap prevents the ring from sliding too far along the front portion of the chest strap..

By using the trainer for a suificient time to break the habit of straightening the right elbow, the improvement in the swing may persist even after the trainer is discarded.

The invention may be performed in various ways, and a specific embodiment will now be described by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawing, which is a perspective view of the trainer for a righthanded golfer.

The golfer swing trainer illustrated comprises a body harness indicated generally by the reference 10, a thong 11, and a glove 12 adapted to be worn on the golfers right hand.

The body harness 10 comprises a chest strap 13 adapted to encircle the golfers chest just below the armpits and having an adjustable buckle 14. Attached to the rear portion of the chest strap 13, as by a rivet 15, at a point adjacent the right shoulder blade of the golfer, is one portion 16 of a shoulder strap. The other portion 17 of the tates Patent shoulder strap is provided with a loop 18 through which the chest strap 13 passes. The two portions 16 and 17 of the shoulder strap are adjustably connected together by means of a buckle 19.

The upper end of the thong 11 is fixed to a ring 20 through which passes the portion of the chest strap 13 lying between the rivet 15 and the loop 18 of the shoulder strap. The thong 11 consists of two portions, an upper portion 21 attached to the ring 20 and a lower portion 22 attached to the glove 12, the two portions 21 and 22 being adjustably connected together by a buckle 23 so that the length of the thong can be adjusted to suit different persons.

The glove 12 is provided with a reinforced cuif 24 made, for instance, of leather, having straps and buckles 25 by which it can be adjusted snugly around the players wrist. The lower portion 22 of the thong 11 is fixed to the cuif 24 as by means of rivets 26.

In use, the harness 10 is placed around the golfers body and the buckles 14 and 19 adjusted so that the chest strap 13 fits snugly about the golfers chest while the shoulder strap 16, 17 holds the chest strap in position a few inches below the armpits and prevents it from slipping down. With the glove 12 on the right hand, the thong 11 is adjusted by means of the buckle 23 until it is of such a length that when the golfer is in the position of addressing the ball, the right elbow is maintained slightly bent.

The trainer is readily adaptable for a left-handed player by transferring the loop 18 and the ring 20 on to the buckle end of the chest strap 13, and replacing the glove 12 together with the lower portion 22 of the thong 11 by a left-handed glove having a similar thong portion 22 fixed thereto.

What I claim as my invention and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. A golf swing trainer comprising a chest strap engageable completely around a golfers chest just below the arm pits, a shoulder strap, front and rear attachment means for attaching the two ends of said shoulder strap to said chest strap at positions spaced from each other whereby said shoulder strap will pass over one shoulder of said golfer and said front and rear attachment means will be located in front of and behind said shoulder respectively, a ring encircling and slidable along the portion of said chest strap which lies between said front attachment means and said rear attachment means such that it passes beneath said shoulder, a non-yielding thong, means connecting one end of said thong directly to said ring, a glove having a reinforced strapped wrist portion, and means connecting the other end of said thong directly to said wrist portion of said glove.

2. A golf swing trainer according to claim 1 having means for adjusting the length of said thong.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 475,432 5/92 Blades 273-189 879,164 2/08 Hamilton 128-134 1,316,163 9/19 Kennedy 128-134 X 1,651,561 12/27 Storey 128-134 X 1,751,872 3/30 Medaugh 2-159 1,962,256 6/34 Nelson et al 273- X 2,093,153 9/37 McCarthy 273-189 2,773,691 12/56 Redfield 273-189 2,980,426 4/61 Johnson 273-189 X 3,101,196 8/63 Ferrara 273-189 X DELBERT B. LOWE, Primary Examiner. 

1. A GOLF SWING TRAINER COMPRISING A CHEST STRAP ENGAGEABLE COMPLETELY AROUND A GOLFER''S CHEST JUST BELOW THE ARM PITS, A SHOULDER STRAP, FRONT AND REAR ATTACHMENT MEANS FOR ATTACHING THE TWO ENDS OF SAID SHOULDER STRAP TO SAID CHEST STRAP AT POSITIONS SPACED FROM EACH OTHER WHEREBY SAID SHOULDER STRAP WILL PASS OVER ONE SHOULDER OF SAID GOLFER AND SAID FRONT AND REAR ATTACHMENT MEANS WILL BE LOCATED IN FRONT OF AND BEHIND SAID SHOULDER RESPECTIVELY, A RING ENCIRCLING AND SLIDABLE ALONG THE PORTION OF SAID CHEST STRAP WHICH LIES BETWEEN SAID FRONT ATTACHMENT MEANS AND SAID REAR ATTACHMENT MEANS SUCH THAT IT PASSES BENEATH SAID SHOULDER, A NON-YIELDING THONG, MEANS CONNECTING ONE END OF SAID THONG DIRECTLY TO SAID RING, A GLOVE HAVING A REINFORCED STRAPPED WRIST PORTION, AND MEANS CONNECTING THE OTHER END OF SAID THONG DIRECTLY TO SAID WRIST PORTION OF SAID GLOVE. 